"I couldn't bring in enough players": Steve Sarkisian reveals initial talent problems after taking up Texas HC gig

After leading the Washington Huskies from 2009–2013 and the USC Trojans from 2014–2015, Steve Sarkisian took the reigns of the Texas Longhorns into his hands in 2021.

But it was far from perfect from day one. Sarkisian recently spoke about the hardships of recruiting in his early days with the Longhorns and broke down his biggest challenges in a conversation with college football analyst Josh Pate on his YouTube channel, "Late Kick with Josh Pate." Sarkisian said:

"I got the job here and college football started to change. We went into the season under [the] number of scholarships. We couldn't replenish at Texas because there's so many guys that had left, declared for the draft and transferred, and they were capping you at 25. I couldnt 'bring in enough players. Yeah, but it would've been a lot nicer if I had that." (22:00)

Talking about how he dealt with the situation, the Texas head coach further stated:

"But also I shift gears, and I did talk to buddies of mine that are coaches at those places. The idea that year in and year out they're on like a ladder of 'Okay, here's 2,4,6 of my better players that are literally getting recruited off my team from other schools' because allegedly people don't pre-portal. But the reality is, that's what's happening."

Texas finished with a disappointing record of 3-6 in year one with no drafted players under Sarkisian, followed by a slightly better 8-5 record in year two with five players drafted.

However, things turned around in his third year, as the Longhorns finished with an impressive 12-2 record and a total of 11 players drafted, while also winning their first Big 12 championship since 2009.

Joel Klatt expresses high expectations from Steve Sarkisian, Quinn Ewers

Texas has been a point of discussion owing to their quarterback unit consisting of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.

While Quinn Ewers has been the Longhorns' starting quarterback for two years, fans have been wanting to see Manning take the field, especially after his electrifying performance during the 2024 spring game, where he went 19 for 26 for 355 yards and scored three touchdowns with one interception.

During his podcast, Joel Klatt emphasized Ewer's impressive playing abilities and also boldly predicted his Heisman odds:

"Texas is gonna be [dang] good folks. Quinn Ewers [is] back for his third season as a starter, and I was there at the spring picnic conversation. I got to see them practice. Quinn Ewers is firmly entrenched as their starting quarterback.

"I know from the outside people are going to talk about Arch Manning. Quinn Ewers in a large sense is the reason that the epitome of this resurgence back to the top of college football, and I think he's going to have a big year. In fact, I think he's your odds-on favorite for the Heisman Trophy."

The quarterback battle at Texas will definitely be one to look out for. Fans will be interested to see how Steve Sarkisian uses his QB unit to help lead the team towards a national championship title.